The Courtship Chronicles
by DannyPhanto fan
Summary: Extract- "Kevin Levin had agonized over the decision for what seemed like years but was really only days. He really loved Gwen Tennyson; they had been dating for a couple years...He wanted to move forward in this, to make it official..." Extract
1. Chapter 1

**The Courtship Chronicles **

**Disclaimer**_**: I don't own Ben 10 and/or Ben 10: Alien Force and/or Ben 10: Ultimate Alien and/or any and/or all concepts and/or characters. They are copyrighted to Man of Action and Cartoon Network Studios. I am a mere Fanfiction author. With far too much time on her hands and no social life.**_

**Rated: **_**T**_

**Prologue: Resolve **

Kevin Levin had agonized over the decision for what seemed like years but was really only days. He really loved Gwen Tennyson; they had been dating for a couple years and already he knew he wanted to be with her as long as he lived; hell he had known this since the day they had all met up that second time. He wanted to move forward in this, to make it official.

Only he knew he severely limited her. She should have gone off to Harvard or Yale or some other Ivy League university but she had stayed behind in little backwater Bellwood and got her teaching degree at the local university. She claimed that she was needed in Bellwood with their little team, by the Plumbers. After all, she balanced the hotheadedness of the ex-street rat and the cockiness of the wielder of the Ultramatrix quite well by being the one who thought before swinging. Even though that was a character merit to a flaw at times. But he knew better; she had stayed behind because of him. Because he wasn't good enough to go to any college, he didn't have his GED. He had money, a lot of it, from his illegal technology brokering in his teenage years and his Plumbers checks were pretty decent so he could provide for her, let her live like a goddess for a good few hundred years. But money was all he had, that and his badge, and so he didn't try deluding himself that that made him good enough for her. But he also knew that he couldn't live without her; at least not without going completely sociopathic and making Hitler look like a small time crook. Even while he had her, even while she was his, he always knew that he might lose her to another man. He had given her enough time to realize her mistake and leave him, seven hundred and thirty days to be exact, and she hadn't yet so…

But what if she said yes, accepted his ring, signed the papers, and then months later changed her mind? He doubted he had the self-discipline needed to make himself sign the papers that would free her from him…scratch that, he knew he didn't have the self-discipline. He wouldn't force himself onto her physically but he would keep her captive by legal means. But…what if, by some miracle, she stayed happy with him? What if she stayed in such a legal union willingly? He knew how slim the chances were but they were still possible. And so he had decided to chance things, go for broke.

He began putting together a to-do list; he couldn't try this half-cocked.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part One: Puppy Power!**

Phase one was small, literally. Phase one whimpered from its' covered cage in the backseat of his car.

Earthly animals were popular pets on other planets but the Plumbers had banned their sale or removal from earth. Unfortunately the demand was high enough that there was a black market. One he had worked in and still had contacts in. So getting his hands on an eight week old wolf cub was only a matter of how much he would pay for one. He knew Gwen loved animals and she had mentioned once or twice that she wanted to look into getting a pet. She was living with him so her getting a pet wasn't the problem; the problem was he considered dogs, from those stupid little purse dogs to the great Saint Bernard, too wimpy for their life. The thing needed to know how to survive at any cost. So he had began looking into _Canis Lupus Familiarius_'s sturdier great whatever grandfather; _Canis Lupus_. With enough proper training a wolf, specifically a Grey Wolf, would be able to survive alien attacks.

Their morning and afternoon schedule had remained much the same since they had met up that second time. He would drive her to wherever she was for the day, now Bellwood Elementary School for her job as a second grade teacher, and he picked her up after school was over. And so there he waited, leaning against his car with arms crossed and head bowed as he was dozing. Then the bell rang, startling him awake as students flooded out. After the students came his redhead.

He pulled the crate from the backseat and broke open the specially designed leash and collar. The cub whimpered again as he reached in to fit the collar around it's neck and he frowned; that rat might have given him a wuss cub, he couldn't have bought Gwen a wussy cub. Wanting to test this fear he slowed his movements; after all, the runt might just have been scared of a bigger creature. Indeed it stopped whimpering and let him snap the black leather collar shut. And then clinch the sturdy, thick natural fiber rope leash onto the collar.

The cub was patiently sitting for his new mistress by the time she came near enough to see that, "That's not a puppy Kev."

"Brilliant as always Sweet-cheeks…" he rolled his eyes, "he's a Grey Wolf cub, saved from the black market."

She set her bag down and knelt, reaching forward to pull the cub close. He came with a whimper; she shushed him gently as she looked him over. "Gunnolf," she finally christened him, gathering him up carefully and standing. Kevin grinned as he watched her climb into her usual seat carefully, still holding 'Gunnolf'. He grabbed her bag and the cargo crate and threw them in the back before shutting her door carefully and rounding to his side and jumping in, starting them on their way home.

Phase one was a complete success.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part Two: Part One of Phase Two: Favors**

It was time to call in the favors he had piled up in his years on the dark side. He had put many powerful persons in their powerful positions of their powerful governments. They owed him and it was time to collect.

(Insert Evil Insane Cackle Here)

He needed a decent amount land, he needed it to be legally his, he needed it fast and he needed it handled quietly, without the humans knowing too much. It wasn't the Masquerade he was worried about, that had been broken years ago (and not by him), but if too many people knew then Gwen would find out and he would have nothing to show for his work other than a pansy-ass wolf cub. Seriously Gun slept in their bed, between them, and whenever he kicked the stupid wuss outside the bedroom (because Kevin, alien blooded or not, was still a red-blooded American man), he cried so pathetically that Gwen would go all soft (making Kevin wish he could), stop whatever they may've been doing, redress (it wasn't fair!), and let the idiot back in and he would jump right between them and Kevin would retreat to the soundproofed guest bedroom for a half hour or so.

Besides if she found out before everything was done she would probably run screaming for Anodine. Granted she might do that even if everything was done and ready for her. But his chances of winning her over were far better if everything was done and ready for her.

So favors, the Senate was a good place to start and if not then there was always the President himself (who do you think got the okay for his [the President's] grandmother to stay in the country?). Some blackmail, some trips down memory-lane, and a little good ol' fashion intimidation was all that was needed to make the bigwigs in the Capital cower. They signed what he needed them to and the land of La Soladad desert, and thus everything in it, was legally his. Bonus fact, the businesses that ran on and in his land were forced to pay what amounted to tribute to him. It would supplement his already vast fortunes, his incoming Plumber check, and the freelance work he did on the side quite nicely.

It was good to have been a murderous, conniving loon once upon a time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part Three: The Unforeseen Gauntlet **

This wasn't fair. He had done his time in the Void. He had converted to the side of Good and Righteousness. He dealt with Ben Tennyson on a daily basis, for _**four years**_, and hadn't murdered the idiot yet. Why the hell did he have to baby-sit these four monsters?

Some of Gwen's, and Ben's, family had come to town for a visit. These relatives had produced four brats. Allison, the thirteen year old who sat on her ass all day and did nothing but text her friends; Micheal (why that name?), the nine year old budding pyromaniac/sociopath/pervert who had already raided his older cousin's underwear drawer three times; Jason, the quiet seven year old who would not leave his baby-sitter alone and Cassandra, the four year old who had her finger permanently stuck up her nose and was currently attached to her baby-sitter's other leg.

And why was Kevin baby-sitting? Who in their right minds would let (coughcough _**make**_ coughcough_**cough**_) Kevin Levin baby-sit four such "precious" and "fragile" beings? The Tennyson family of Bellwood. He always knew they were nuts. He still didn't understand the logic behind it.

Gwen, Ben, and Ben's girlfriend Julie Yamamoto, were working so they couldn't baby-sit. Okay, he understood that.

The moms (Jen Tennyson (Gwen's mother), Sandra Tennyson (Ben's mother) and Eliza Morte (the foul creature who birthed the four monsters he was currently being besieged by)) wanted to have a spa day together. It was the first time in years they had seen each other and so had a lot of catching up to do. This annoyed him but he begrudged them that right.

The dads (Frank Tennyson (Gwen's), Carl Tennyson (Ben's) and Raphael Morte (the four monsters')) were catching up around a football game. Here the logic broke down for the first time but he had kept his mouth shut.

Grandpa Max was supposedly off-world; he was actually taking a day off as to "reconnect" with his energy being, hippie-ish (ex?-)wife Verdona, Gwen and Ben's grandmother. This was where Kevin got pissed off about the whole thing. He was stuck baby-sitting four hell-spawn because Max Tennyson, a sixty year old Plumber who should have been more responsible than this, was off banging his wife.

But, for whatever reason, Kevin was still trapped baby-sitting four demons; hoping that the apartment, and him, would survive until Gwen got home. Because they were perfect angels for family members.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Gun running from the darker recesses of the apartment with smoldering fur and a terrified look to him. The wolf broke through the solid oak front door and high-tailed it down the street, yelping at the top of his lungs the entire way. Hopefully he would return with some back-up. It sure didn't look like it though.

"_**That's**_! _**IT**_!" he shook off the two glued to his legs, it did take a few tries (they had impressive grips for kids) but he made sure they landed on the couch. He then stormed over to Allison, swiped her phone, quickly texted the message that she would be out of range for the rest of the afternoon, sent that to everyone in her address book before crushing the tiny pink cell in his fist.

"HEY!" she shrieked indignantly, "That was _**mine**_!"

"Oh, sorry," he snarked, dropping the mangled remains, "GET OVER IT!"

She pouted, "I don't know why Gwen loves you. You're mean."

"Get. Over. It." He repeated slowly, "You see that mess in there?" he pointed to the kitchen, which was destroyed by Micheal, "You're gonna clean that up…"

"Not my mess."

"Please. I'm getting angry…"

"Get over it," she echoed, "you can't make me clean anything."

"_**GET IN THERE NOW!**_" he lost control for a second but it was long enough to terrify her into bending to his will.

"You two." He barked at the youngest, now huddled together out of fear, "Don't move an inch."

They nodded.

He stormed off to the backrooms, something hit the back of his head and he blacked out.

When Gwen returned home she found him bound with her magically enchanted manacle-like chains (used on him at her pleasured whim); he was weak against enchanted items, they brought him back down to normal. He was also gagged by a sock shoved down his throat. His head was half shaven; he had gained a sharpie mustache, a sharpie black-eye and was apparently a make-up manikin for while.

The first words he had said to her as soon as she disciplined her cousins and then ungagged him, "No kids. Ever." She had cackled at him in a laugh that had him worried.

It took another two days for Gun to return; apparently he had run to Grandpa Max for safety and had thus been hiding under the Rust-bucket. He was still a nervous wreck.


	5. Chapter 5

**Part Four: More Favors (Part Two, Phase Two)**

"Amari," Kevin greeted his old partner-in-crime amiably. Amari had left the criminal life after inheriting the throne to his homeworld; he still owed Kevin though.

"Levin." Amari greeted back cautiously, "I assume this's a business call…"

"Yes, yes it is," the Plumber nodded, "I heard you rebuilt your palace a few years back, I heard it's very nice and that it only took a week; I wish to borrow your construction crew…"

"You're mad!"

"Yes probably," he agreed with the assessment, "still doesn't change the fact."

"Why should I lend you my servants?"

"Oh, does the name Aldo Temple, Terra IV ring a bell?"

Amari paled, gulped but said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're wearing the gem, moron. The gem that nearly killed you. Because you were stupid enough to grab it off the alter."

"I do not know what you are referring to."

Kevin leaned back, smirking, "Whatever. I also know that your planet houses several most wanted criminals and that you know about this and haven't informed the Plumbers. Meaning you are willingly giving asylum to them and thus aiding and abetting in their continued criminal doings…Plumbers don't like this fact…but nobody's reported you, _**yet**_…"

Amari gulped again. He wasn't stupid; he knew a threat when he heard one.

"Give me your location and co-ordinate points and they'll be there within the week."

"Glad you see things my way Amari," Kevin's smirk widened and he sent the information, "But don't send them until I call for them, things aren't ready for them yet."

"Fine."

So that was taken care of; now to get building materials. The wood was easy enough. Oak and redwood, mahogany and birch. A couple calls, some negotiating on the pricing and it was going to be shipped within his needed time frame. The same with the vegetation; the land around the house would be alive with greenery. A favor from Cooper; he knew a lot about construction and architecture so he agreed to come up with the blueprints and oversee the whole project.

The final material was extremely rare and expensive but he was almost literally sitting on a goldmine of the gem; Tandenite. Hardest material in the universe, even against Versitium, if the walls of a house were, at their core, Tandenite they could survive anything short of Nuclearly Powered Bombs.

"So let me get this straight," Ben stated as they talked over smoothies; Julie was keeping Gwen occupied at a spa, "you want to mine Tandenite from my back for a house?"

"Yep, pretty much."

"Why in hell should I let you—?"

"It's for Gwen." The softness of the words shocked the brunette Plumber; his friend never was so quiet before, "if I get the house built with Tandenite it can handle anything."

Ben saw the desperation in Kevin's dark eyes but knew that prying would only earn violence and so agreed, "Okay. You can have whatever you need."

"Thank you."

Those two words scared Ben to no end. Kevin never thanked anyone, for any kindness, other than Gwen.

"Codeword?" Ben demanded, hand hovering over the Ultramatrix.

"Cantaloupe," Kevin replied easily. "Biology, Family, Loyalty."

Ben paused, unsure. This Kevin had gotten all four passwords right but he wasn't _**acting**_ like Kevin.

"Drop the hand, you moron, I'm me. We both know that there's only one person able to take me on and win."

Ben smiled, dropping his hand; _**that**_ was definitely Kevin Levin.


	6. Chapter 6

**Part Five: High-Ho, High-Ho...(Phase Two; Part Three)**

She would be off-world for the next two days or so. He had been able to pull some strings, call in some favors and even indebt himself to their superiors to get them to ass-pull up some excuse for her to be called to Headquarters and the journey and visit would keep her busy for days. Enough time for him to mine what he needed from his friend's back and hide it away for later use.

The magically enchanted manacles clamped shut about the living, sentient gem's wrists as he knelt willingly. The being's friends and comrades surrounded him, pickaxes in hand. One looked remorseful and disgusted with himself; another looked horrified while the third, the being's human girlfriend, trembled at her task. Their pickaxes were enchanted diamond headed with sturdy Versitium handles and their users each wore thick leather gloves and clear enchanted diamond lensed goggles.

With a sort of pained groan the being made his gemstone body, glistening in the artificial lighting of the room, sprout protuberances of his stony flesh. These protuberances were prisms of himself that jutted from his back, each being feet tall and feet wide.

"Go." Was Ben's order, signifying that he was ready to complete his duty.

Kevin stepped forward and with a mighty swing and the sound of gem hitting gem sparks and shards flew. It did not hurt Ben for them to be mining his body and the watch's timeout feature let them take regular breaks while it recharged. If anything, the miners themselves were suffering more than he was. Within a few swings their shoulders began to burn and their breath came in pants. Sweat broke out on their bodies, their skin flushing. Mining Tandenite was not the easiest task in the world and Kevin gain a certain respect for Vulkanus's gremlins who had mined the same gem from his own back as he did now from his friend's.

"I so owe you." He huffed to Ben during one of the time-outs. Kevin, Cooper, and Julie were all leaning against the walls, struggling as if they had just attempted the Iron Man decathlon.

Then the cavalry arrived. Ben and Gwen's parents and after them Grandpa Max trooped into the warehouse. They were wearing the same goggles and held the same pickaxes. This allowed Cooper to remove the human Julie from the premises as she soon passed out from her exhaustion and exertion. And so much more was able to be mined in the subsequent hours and once she was back up Julie helped by gathering the fragments already mined. She swept them into a dustpan with a broom and then deposited the contents of the full dustpans into a large container. Once they had enough, and Kevin had mined a large single chunk of Tandenite for some unknown project, the pieces and shards were grounded down into a fine powder and sealed into what looked like a large snuff box. All in all the operation only took, not accounting timeouts or night time sleeping hours, a day and a half and the grinding another half a day.

So when Gwen came home, thoroughly pissed with their commanding officers, she found nothing out of their ordinary. Except that Kevin actually had a real smile on his face.

He was up to something.


	7. Chapter 7

**Part Six: To Tiffany's! (Otherwise Known As Phase Three)**

Because Gwen was getting suspicious, somehow she always knew when he was up to something, Kevin decided to put Phase Two on the back burner for awhile and start Phase Three.

It was the simplest phase after Phase One.

It required yet another favor to be called in. Kevin had worked a myriad of jobs in a vast variety of lines of work. As such he had a multitude of contacts in a multitude of 'Career Paths'. They came in handy to say the least.

The ancient Jeweler/Blacksmith known only as Farrar was one of them. He had done the old elf a fair few favors and earned a couple in return. Farrar's skill was unsurpassed for light-years upon light-years; even the most rebellious of criminals revered his work and he was a trusted old being who was known for not screwing his customers over. Which was good for Kevin as the material he needed smithed and bejeweled was very rare and very expensive. So a few chunks of pure gold and pure silver, a chunk of Versitium, and a chunk of Tandenite were secured into a Versitium briefcase, which was handcuffed, by Versitium handcuffs, to his wrist and required a thirteen digit code to un-cuff it from his wrist and a separate one to open the case. Yes, he was paranoid; what tipped you off? Luckily Farrar had established his base of operations on Earth, in Sweden. So, while Gwen was at work, he hopped a ride aboard Ship to Sweden. In a little dusty workshop above a bustling toy-shop Farrar had set up his home. He was a stooped, almost hunchbacked, being.

"Kevin," he chuckled as his former apprentice walked in, "to what do I owe this visit?"

"I need a favor done."

"Ahhh," Farrar nodded, grinning as though he was centuries younger, "you've decided to make an honest woman outta that redhead of yours."

"That's the plan."

"Of course I'll help, do you have your preferred materials."

"I ain't stupid," he motioned to the briefcase.

"One wonders…nuck, nuck, nuck, well what are you waiting for? Unsecure the damned thing so I can have a look…"

Kevin looked at the handcuffs and case and his face paled.

"Well?"

"I…uh…I forgot the codes…"

"Oh for Athena's sake, nuck, nuck, that girl better know what she's getting into…c'mere, c'mere…" the elf unlocked it via magic and opened it, "Let's see here…gold and silver…nuck, nuck…so common materials…Versitium, a little more pricey… Tandenite! Nuck, nuck! That's a good boy!" He patted Kevin's cheek fondly before shuffling off to start work, "So…a ring?"

"No."

Farrar paused, surprised and confused, "No?"

"No, I want an amulet made. One that she can store some of her power in…so she doesn't go nuclear by accident." Kevin had come to his former master's side.

"Is she really as powerful as they say then?"

Kevin frowned, "Who else knows?"

Farrar laughed, "Nuck, nuck…Who _**doesn't**_? It was big news; Kevin Levin went good 'cause of a big pair of, nuck, nuck, nuck, baby blues—!"

"Her eyes are green, emerald really…"

"Nuck, nuck, nuck; green eyed, redheaded _**and**_ an energy being? _**Exotic**_."

"Yeah, she has the personality to match…"

"She feisty?"

"She goes toe to toe with me everyday…"

"Nuck, nuck…she sounds like quite the woman—"

"and she teaches second grade…"

"Nuck, nuck, you don't say?"

"Oh yeah. Sweet, kind teacher by day, kickass Plumber by night—"

"Nuck, nuck, nuck. And in the bedroom?"

Kevin smirked, "You dirty old elf."

"Not all of us are Santa's Little Helpers…Nuck, nuck, nuck…So?"

"Total Switch."

"Ahhh, she's perfect for you then, nuck, nuck, nuck."

"You seriously need to stop clicking your teeth, it's annoying."

"Nuck, nuck, nuck, respect your elders whelp."

"Well when I meet an elder I'll respect him…"

"Kiss-ass."

"I try…look, can you hurry things up a little? I gotta be back before she gets off—"

"On what?"

"From work, you pervert. If I don't pick her up she'll worry."

"She has you, nuck, nuck, nuck, _**whipped**_ boy."

"It's so worth it though."

Farrar smiled, "I'm glad to hear it boy." He finished his project, holding it up to the light and polishing the large front Tandenite gem, held into a metallic mix of gold, silver, and Versitium which was supported by a similarly mixed chain-necklace.

"Good?" Farrar asked, proud of this jewel beyond all else he had crafted beforehand.

"Yes, yes. It's _**perfect**_."

"Right then. Nuck, nuck, nuck." Farrar nestled the jewel back into the briefcase, snapped the case shut but disabled the locks on it, and handed it back to the much younger man, with the orders of, "Get your ass in gear, get back home, and pop the question soon. Send me an invite too…"

"Will do," Kevin gave a two-fingered scout salute before heading out to where Ship waited as a car and heading home.

Phase three, complete.


	8. Chapter 8

**Part Seven: Phase Two, Part Four**

"You're redecorating my room," she restated, "and you've dragged me along to help why?" She was not the type of woman to enjoy decorating a room. The room could be stark white for all she cared. As long as there was somewhere to crash in the room…dear god, she sounded like Kevin…

"You need to learn sometime…" her mother laughed.

"Learn _what_?"

"How to decorate beyond a bed set…"

"Okay, why in the world would I need to know that, a woman who doesn't know how to decorate…it isn't a fatal flaw you know…"

"What if you settle down, need to decorate a, oh I don't know, a nursery?"

"I've told you there'll be no kids from me and Kev."

They were walking down an aisle of blues and purples.

"Oh you never know that for sure; after all, _**you**_ were an oopsie."

"Aliens have much better forms of contraception than humans…"

"Of course, but you never know what happens over the course of a lifetime."

"All the more reason not to; Mom, you know the jobs we do are dangerous. It'd be unfair to put a kid through that."

"Grandpa Max—"

"Grandpa Max got lucky; he's been lucky, the number of times he should have died are astronomical at best," she slouched against the shelving, arms crossing her chest as she gave her mother a grave gaze, "Not every Plumber is that lucky. Every time we have a mission we risk dismemberment if not death. We've decided we're not gonna put a kid through that sort of life…besides we're always partnered up, this way we'll probably both _go_ at the same time."

"Well how do you know an enemy won't kill one of you and keep the other alive to suffer the loss?"

Gwen smirked, "Well they're too dumb too live if they try that. Me and him tend to go nuclear if the other's in danger. I'd hate to see what would happen if one of us were killed but not the other…"

"You're very pessimistic today; come help me pick out colors…"

"Fine." The younger redhead sighed, resigning herself to the task. She quickly perused the selection of color samples before picking out an array of purple shades.

"Here," she handed them to her mother, "happy now?"

"No, now we go to fabric…"

"Urrgggghhh, _**Mmmmoooommm**_…"

"Gwendolyn, act your age not your shoe-size…"

"In Anodite time I'm acting my age, I'm still just a toddler to them."

"Well in our time you're nineteen, act like it…what fabric?"

"I like silk, it's easy to clean."

"Silk's good, cotton?"

"Only hundred thread count or above…"

"He's spoiled you hasn't he?"

Gwen blushed, mumbling, "Maybe…"

Her mother chuckled, "C'mon now we go to carpeting…"

"_**Grrrreeeaattt**_."

In perusing the carpet samples, testing each out for comfort should someone stagger in and then fall to the floor from wounds, Gwen had fallen asleep on a sample. At least it was soft…

"Gwen, Gwen, Gwendolyn…wake up honey." Jen shook her daughter.

"Huh? Badge beeping?" with that non-sequiter Gwen woke up, sitting up with a groan and fishing her badge from her cloak pocket to check it drowsily.

"No, your badge isn't beeping," Jen sat beside her, "been getting a lot of calls?"

"No," Gwen put away her badge, yawning, "not the badge…"

"Then why are you so tired?"

"Have you ever heard someone beg for forgiveness when there is none needed, have you ever heard the screams of a tortured man as he pays for his crimes over and over again? Have you ever heard a grown man cry for his mother when she had abandoned him and his father, who's dead in the line of duty? Scream as his flesh mutates into a biological disaster? Or hardens into living stone and freezes everything but his mind?"

Her mother shook her head.

"I have, I share a bed with one who does…his nightmares…they go beyond nightmare level really. He doesn't know he screams while asleep…or cries…"

"He keeps you awake?"

"I can't sleep when he's suffering like that; it takes all my skill to soothe his mind but as soon as I break that connection it starts again…he only sleeps three nights tops. I get to sleep the other four…"

Her mother bit her lip and sighed, asking, "So you like the carpet?"

Gwen smiled thankfully, "Yeah."

"Color?"

"Red; hides blood well…"

"Right." Jen took out a notepad and copied down the brand and color's RBG numbers.

"Are we done yet?" Gwen whined childishly.

Jen laughed, "Yes we are. How's about lunch? My treat…"

Both women stood up, heading to the register.

"Nah," the younger one said, "My treat."

"But—"

"Mom, I make more in a month than you do in a year," Gwen laughed, "I can pay. Pick a place, I'll pay."


	9. Chapter 9

**Part Eight: Phase Two, Part Five**

Part Four, Phase two, was the most crucial and complicated part of everything. After Shipping the redhead to a off-world two-week vacation resort an army of beings and enough wood to make a forest the size of Texas and tools to fill Lake Michigan descended on La Soladad desert. With speed and coordination to shame the US Military and skill to rival the people who work the projects of _**Extreme Makeover: Home Edition**_ they framed and put up a very comfortably large house and put down a very lush lawn of green grass and beds of rainbows of flowers and herbs. Large oaks lined the sprawling front driveway, which was paved by large, evenly gray cobblestones. The driveway led to both the garage, big enough for three mini-vans or one small eighteen wheeler, and the front door, adjustable in both size and width. That led into an entrance foyer which then branched out into two different hallways, each connecting with countless rooms. One hall had rooms for general use, familial use; the second was for guests.

The master suite was, in essence, a mini-apartment. It had its' own entertaining area, small kitchen, full bathroom, and bedroom with a walk-in closet. Each other room was just a bedroom with a bathroom and a small closet.

There was a library and study connected to the suite via a small hidden door, filled to the brim with copies of rare magical tomes and normal human books he knew she loved and/or wanted; they were perched on redwood shelves and some were lying open on podiums. On the oaken desk sat an empty tome; he knew she wanted to start her own Book of Shadows. Also on the desk was a flat-screen desk computer that connected to both the intergalactic and human internet and all Plumber databases. She also had projector that could throw whatever she was doing on her computer up onto a screen hanging on the wall.

The basement was just an armory, medical lab, and panic room, which was elevator only accessible though there were hidden staircase emergency entrances and exits about the house. Then there was the Plumber level gym.

And then you have the household normal rooms, only on a larger scale.

The furniture was of various woods, upholstered in purples (the bed set in the master bedroom was deep royal purple), and the carpeting was of a non-clashing deep red lush make.

"Ever think you're going overboard with this?" Cooper asked as he and Kevin went over the floor plans.

"Nope."

"Okie dokie."

"Think she'll like it?"

"May be too over the top for her tastes but I think she'll like it."

"She has to."

Cooper smiled understandingly, nodding.

A day before Gwen was due to return Cooper proudly handed his friend the keys to the finished estate.

Phase two was finally complete.


	10. Chapter 10

**Part Nine: Phase Four; the Freak-out**

Kevin considered his life up to the point where he was affixed to the wall, by manna, as his girlfriend was absolutely convinced that he was an imposter masquerading as himself.

He had proposed to her, with the Farrar-made amulet. She didn't reject him outright but she didn't accept him either. Instead she completely wigged and he found himself manna-ed to the wall. At least she liked the house. She loved it…until she got that crazy idea he was a phony Kevin.

In hindsight she had a very reasonable excuse; in their many long talks, which could and often did include and cover several only marginally related subjects in the same conversation, he had conveyed his thoughts on the matter of marriage. It was useless, too confining and a complete show of posturing and pomp. Surprisingly she had accepted his views and he knew she wouldn't expect a marriage proposal from him. She was seemingly content with their relationship as it was, exclusively dating each other, they acted like a married couple anyways, and was content with the idea that it would probably never change either way. For him to do such a complete one-eighty on the subject could be a sign of something not being quite right. It was only prudent for her to bind him as she tried to figure out what was going on. The amulet lay, gleaming, on the floor. Until she boxed it up in manna, thinking it was some type of power sucking device. Again, with what they did for a living, this was a completely logical safety measure. And then she pulled out the standard issue scanner and began scanning the jewelry.

"Can you loosen the collar?" he choked out, having realized he was losing air.

Legally she had to keep a prisoner somewhat comfortable and so she loosened the energy loop around his neck.

"Call anyone you want to," he told her, "they all know, I've been setting this up for months…"

"You could have replaced them with fakes too," she reminded him.

"Then call all of them, I can't have replaced them all. Someone would have figured out the plot…"

"Fine I will…hmmm, seems okay…gold, silver, Versitium, Tandenite…"

"I am not a crook…"

"Sure you aren't…and you just plagiarized…" she put away the scanner and pulled out her cell phone, setting it on speaking phone and began hitting speed dials;

"Did he finally propose?" that was her mom and dad.

"Took him long enough." Ben and Julie.

"You better have said yes," Max and Cooper.

Verdona's reply was only a squeal that Gwen took as an affirmative on her question.

"That is the most devoted man I've ever met." Aunt Sandra and Uncle Carl.

"Yep, we're in on it." That was her Plumber superiors, flabbergasting her completely.

And, as a last resort, she contacted Argit of all beings.

"Oh yeah, he's been crazy about this," the rat bastard confirmed, "running all over Earth for you. Listen, you're gonna need to stuff for a wedding r—" at that point she hung up.

Cautiously she let him down, hands forward as to be able to ward him off at a moment's notice. "Bunny." He stated his safe-word softly. She slowly lowered her hands, looking from him to the amulet and back, asking unsurely, "You're being serious?"

"Completely."

"No joking around? Not one of Ben's and yours' stupid little bets or something?"

"Nope."

She shifted her weight, biting her lip; he was crushed, she was going to say no and then dump him because he had asked. He was about to apologize, to try to convince her to give him another chance, when she smiled, "Yes, okay."

It was his turn to be unsure, "You sure…if we do this there's no way out; I won't sign the papers needed to…"

She stepped close, wrapping her arms lazily around his neck, "I'm sure Kev."

He smiled; a real smile.

Then his cell phone rang; he opened it and said hello happily…only to hear, "So, Kevin, Buddy…about wedding supplies…"

_**END**_


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